Socket wrench



G. O. LEOPOLD SOCKET- WRENCH I Filed March 10. L922 Patented 091:. I 21923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oer-ice.

' fononen o. LEoroLn, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, assrenon :ro 110mmB3038 H'rece, or PHILADELPHIA, rnnnsynvama, A CORPORATION or rm-SYLYANIA.

sooxnr 'wIumcH'.

Application filed March 10, 1922. .Serial No.'542,661.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Grnonon O. LEOPOLD, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia,- Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Socket Wrenches, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates "to certain improvements in socket wrenches ofthetype illustrated in my applicatiomfor patent, Serial No. 517,018,filed November 22, 1921. l

The object of my present invention is to improve the construction of thewrench handle so that it will have a better grip onthe socket than inthe previous appllcation. This object I attainby extending the bearingsurface of the handle as fully described hereinafter. In theaccompanying drawingsr Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section,illustrating my improved socket wrench and showing the handle in oneposition; Fig. 2 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, with part of the handlebroken away, and showing the handle in another position; Fig. 3'is aplan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the headof a handle- 5 Fig. 5 .is a detached the socket; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view. on the line 6--6, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the socket perspective view of member ofa wrench having a rectangular,

or other shaped, socket 2 for the head of a bolt. In the end oppositefrom the socket is a rectangular opening 3. In each side wall of thisportion of the socket is a recess 4,

as shown clearly in Figs. 5 and 6.

5 is the handle of the wrench,'which, in

40 the present instance, is made of tubing. 6

is a head having a shank 5 adapted to be 4 driven into the tubularportion. of the handle and projecting head is a many-side adapted to fitin the rectan lar opening of the socket. The fiat sides of. the portion6" fit snugly against the walls of the opening.' In the portion 6 of thehead is a transverse cavity in which are the balls at an angle from theportion 6", which is 9. The balls are confined in the, cavity byflanging the walls, as indicated in Fig. 6. The balls are heldyieldingly in the pro ected'position by a spring 10 within the cavity.When the head is in the'socket member, the balls align with the recesses4 in the walls of the socket member and yieldingly retain the head ofthe handle in the opening in the socket, yet allowing the handle to beturned freely on the balls as a pivot from the position shown in Fig. 1to that shown in Fig. 2 By exertin a pull on the handle it can bereadily wit drawn from the socket, as the spring will allow the balls toyield.

It will be noticed that the head is so shaped as to formangular'surfaces11 and 11 above the balls of the pivot and angular v surfacesv 12 and 12below the pivot. The

surfaces 11 and 12 test against the walls of the socket when'in theposition shown in Fig. 1, and the, surfaces 11 and 12? rest against theWalls of the socket when moved to the position shown in Fig 2. Byshaping the head in the manner shown, the surfaces 7 are extendedso asto provide a greater bearing surface of the andle a ainst the socketwhen the socket by the handle, thus'materially increasing the strengthof the tool. The portion 6 0 the head is firmly seated against the wallsof the socket when in either of the extreme positions. J

I claimf:

1. The combination in a socket Wrench, of asocket having a rectangularopening therein; ahandle having a head portion set at an angle; andyielding-pivots in the head arranged to enter recesses in the socket,said head portion being of a size to fit laterally in .the socket andhaving angular faces above and below the pivots arranged tobear againstthe walls of the socket when the handle is moved to either of its twoextreme is turne Leeefiee of said feces being above the pivots and twobelow the pivots so that, when the handle is turned to extreme positionson the balls 10 as pivots, these surfaces bear against the walls of thesocket.

GEoneE "o. LEOPOLD.

